Tag Archives: HHS mandate

Posted onNovember 1, 2013|Comments Off on Contraception mandate STRUCK DOWN by U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

A huge victory for religious freedom and conscience today! The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled in favor of Francis Gilardi’s challenge to the HHS on the Healthcare law’s contraception mandate.

See an excerpt from the ruling below:

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You can read the entire ruling at this linkHERE. I recommend starting at page 4.

Catholics for Ohio http://www.catholicsforohio.org has just published a new video. It features an OB/GYN doctor who is Catholic. She talks about her faith and her practice in a compelling way.

Here is some of her inspiring and strong dialogue from the video:

She talks about ObamaCare, its HHS mandate and abortion:

“This HHS mandate, part of ObamaCare, is directly going to impact my ability to provide care for certain patients. And there is really no point in the government trying to tell me how I shall practice. Particularly, when it comes to religious convictions. Each one of us draws a line and stays within our comfort zone and for me abortion is not going to be tolerated and I’m not going to provide those services.”

She continues about the so-called “War on Women”:

“When you come to talk about “War on Women” it implies that if you are a woman you must be pro-abortion. My support of pro-life causes does not make me less of a woman. And frankly I resent organizations and mandates telling me because I’m a woman I should be supportive of pro-choice and pro-abortion causes.It’s not gonna happen.”

Watch the video below and share it with all Catholics and all people you know:

President Obama’s Anti-Catholic HHS mandate goes into effect today, August 1st, 2012. By letting this date arrive without exempting Catholics and people of conscience, President Obama has effectively said you must follow his teaching and not Catholic teaching.

Do you follow Catholic Teaching or Obama’s Teaching?

Below is what Catholics believe about conscience rights as stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

CCC 1782“Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions. “He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters.”

It is time to let Catholics who supported Obama in 2008 know what he is doing to the Church.

Posted onJuly 11, 2012|Comments Off on Obama Says It’s Not Fair That Women Pay For Contraception (Instead of Catholic Institutions)

President Obama was interviewed earlier this week on WWL TV in New Orleans. The interviewing journalist asked the President about ObamaCare and it’s mandate (HHS) in the context of religious liberty.

Some of what the President said was …, “country founded on religious liberty BUT,…” and he said “that (a) woman, she suddenly is going to have to bear the burden, the cost of that (contraception) and that’s not fair.”

See President Obama’s responses in minutes 2:04 to 3:12 in the video below:

As most of you know, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) was upheld as constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) under the taxing authority of Congress. The problem is that ObamaCare is still unconstitutional regardless of what the Supreme Court’s majority decided. The final vote was 5-4

ObamaCare mandates that individuals buy health insurance or pay a penalty/tax. However, individuals can only pay taxes on products they willing buy. But, now SCOTUS says individuals can be taxed on a product they do not buy. This reasoning by five justices (Roberts, Breyer, Ginsburg, Kagan and Sotomayor) is not reason but, inductive reasoning. They cognitively induced language into the U.S. Constitution that no one else can see and simply does not exist. Additionally, Obamacare allowed for new rules to be enforced at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS.)

The HHS mandaterequiring religious institutions to pay for contraception, abortion and sterilizations of women and men (are against the religious institution’s beliefs and thus makes the institution an accessory to another’s sin) derives from ObamaCare. Without ObamaCare, the HHS mandate is not born.

The Assault on Religious Freedom from the HHS mandate’s requirements which force religious institutions to be an accessory to another’s sin, prohibits the free exercise of religion. This violates Amendment 1 of the U.S. Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Violating the free exercise of religion is equal to the HHS mandate, which is then equal to ObamaCare.

When the free exercise of religion is violated by a mandate that comes from a law, then that law is Unconstitutional. Therefore, ObamaCare is unconstitutional.

When a law and a mandate are prohibited in a constitution (the rules,) the law and its mandate are Illegal Law. Therefore, ObamaCare is an illegal law.

The fourjustices (Alito, Kennedy, Scalia and Thomas) who found ObamaCare unconstitutional but, were out-voted are to be commended for their deductive reasoning skills and courage in holding to the truth.

O Holy Spirit, strengthen us to defend all that is holy. O Lord, help us to love our enemies and to do good to those that hate us and to pray for those who persecute us and calumniate us.

President Barack Obama says that Health and Human Services (HHS) can dictate insurance coverage of abortifacients, sterilizations and contraception onto individuals and religious institutions regardless of their conscientious objections.

The Catholic Church rejects President Obama’s violation of conscience mandates. This right of conscience is expounded on in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC,) section 1782:

CCC 1782 Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions. “He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters.”

Defend your Church and country by sharing this information with friends.

The following post contains an ad from two Catholic men from Altoona, Pennsylvania who are working to defend the Church from manipulations of its moral teachings and the over-reach of President Obama. They published Catholic Teaching and Healthcare Reform: The Proper Role of Governmentin three newspapers as an advertisement. They and friends raised the funds necessary to run the ad in the following newspapers in March and April 2012:

Catholic Teaching and Healthcare Reform: The Proper Role of Government

By Mark Chuff and Mark Frederick

In adhering to the doctrine of the Church, Catholics must follow specific moral teaching relative to the life issues (i.e. abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, etc.), and Catholic social teachings which include the person, society and the role of government etc. (i.e. economic injustice, health care). When moral teachings are distorted, one arrives at false and erroneous conclusions. One such distortion is the Seamless Garment argument which holds that all life issues have equal weight. The argument, while trying to unify a life ethic fails to recognize the preeminence of certain life issues (abortion and euthanasia) over others. The Church teaches that abortion and euthanasia are intrinsically evil acts and never justifiable. Abortion and euthanasia are the preeminent life issues. Capital punishment in contrast, although an important life issue is not intrinsically morally evil as is abortion and euthanasia. Some, including many Catholics, have used this distorted argument to justify voting for a pro-abortion candidate (because the candidate is against capital punishment or another lesser life issue).A true culture of life recognizes the above distinction and values the inviolability of human life, from conception to natural death.In the same way, when social teachings are distorted, one could conclude that the Catholic Church obliges governments to provide national health care for its citizens. What the Church has taught is that governments have a duty to ensure their citizens have access to basic healthcare. Their role is to facilitate an environment where access to care is available; quite different than a government-run system. This point was emphasized in a pastoral letter from Kansas City Bishops Most Reverend Joseph F. Naumann – Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas and Most Reverend Robert W. Finn – Bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph as they quote recent Popes: (August 22, 2009)

“Right to Acquisition of Health Care”

“The right of every individual to access health care does not necessarily suppose an obligation on the part of the government to provide it. Yet in our American culture, Catholic teaching about the “right” to healthcare is sometimes confused with the structures of “entitlement.” The teaching of the Universal Church has never been to suggest a government socialization of medical services. Rather, the Church has asserted the rights of every individual to have access to those things most necessary for sustaining and caring for human life, while at the same time insisting on the personal responsibility of each individual to care properly for his or her own health.”

Misguided Compassion

Many Catholics have a misguided compassion relative to government give away programs. They equate government provisions with charity, and as a means to achieve social justice. Often unseen however is the danger in socialistic programs and welfare states which – although providing for people – have a negative and sometimes unintended consequence of creating dependency and diminishing motivation and enterprise.

The Kansas City Bishops, referencing Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict in this matter noted:

Pope John Paul II wrote:

“By intervening directly and depriving society of its responsibility, the Social Assistance State leads to a loss of human energies and an inordinate increase of public agencies, which are dominated more by bureaucratic ways of thinking than by concern for serving their clients, and which are accompanied by an enormous increase in spending.” (Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus #48)And Pope Benedict writes:

“The State which would provide everything, absorbing everything into itself, would ultimately become a mere bureaucracy incapable of guaranteeing the very thing which the suffering person—every person—needs: namely, loving personal concern. We do not need a State which regulates and controls everything, but a State which, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, generously acknowledges and supports initiatives arising from the different social forces and combines spontaneity with closeness to those in need… In the end, the claim that just social structures would make works of charity superfluous masks a materialist conception of man: the mistaken notion that man can live ‘by bread alone’ (Mt 4:4; cf. Dt 8:3)—a conviction that demeans man and ultimately disregards all that is specifically human.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est #28)

The Limits of Government

The Church has provided safeguards and guidance in this area of Social teaching, especially as it relates to the function of government. They point to basic principles such as the obligation to the common good, Solidarity with our fellowmen and a key principle of Subsidiarity. The Kansas City Bishops emphasize that the Principle of Subsidiarity is fundamental to the work of health care reform, stating:

“This notion that health care ought to be determined at the lowest level rather than at the higher strata of society, has been promoted by the Church as “subsidiarity.” Subsidiarity is that principle by which we respect the inherent dignity and freedom of the individual by never doing for others what they can do for themselves and thus enabling individuals to have the most possible discretion in the affairs of their lives (See: Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, ## 185ff.; Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 1883). The writings of recent Popes have warned that the neglect of subsidiarity can lead to an excessive centralization of human services,which in turn leads to excessive costs, and loss of personal responsibility and quality of care.”

Case in Point

The Obama Administration’s recent Health and Human Services Mandate is a precise example of what the Church warned about. The mandate, only a small part of “Obamacare” requires religious health care providers to defy their conscience by offering contraceptives, sterilizations and abortion- inducing drugs. This is an egregious over-reach of the federal government and ignores the aforementioned principles. It’s overly secularized and bureaucratized system which ignores the conscience of individuals and organizations. The mandate drew the ire of the U.S. Catholic Bishops, and many Protestant leaders who have spoken out vehemently against it.

Put simply, Obamacare mandate erodes our First amendment right to freely exercise our religion. This is no surprise to those aware of President Obama’s anti-life record.

The President’s Record on Life and Liberty

President Obama has demonstrated hostility toward life and religious freedom throughout his political career including: As State Senator, Obama opposed the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, which would have provided care and protection for infants born alive after an abortion. As a candidate, he made derogatory statements such as that of people “clinging to their guns and religion.” Changing the first amendment language by referring “freedom of religion” as “freedom of worship,” knowing full well how social engineering is preceded by verbal engineering. Under the Obama administration the Army restricted the Catholic Bishop’s letter from being read by chaplains to their men and women… yet another first amendment infringement! Denying Catholic Charities funding for their treatment program of victims of human trafficking because they refused to refer victims for abortions. Most recently, the U.S. Department of Education quietly changed eligibility requirements for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program to specifically EXCLUDE people who do any kind of public service work for a religious organization or institution.The list goes on and on… To read more on the President’s record see www.lifenews.com/2010/11/07/obamaabortionrecord

Battling Back: The Legislature and Courts

Last month, an Amendment was introduced in the Senate to give religious employers a conscience exception. Unfortunately, it was defeated 51-48 with nearly every Democrat voting against it!Many are calling for another amendment, perhaps from the House of Representatives, but nothing yet has emerged.There are numerous lawsuits challenging the mandate, including seven on behalf of various states.The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in late March which challenge Obamacare as unconstitutional. Experts believe the vote could go either way given the recent liberal appointees.

The Inevitable Result

If amendments, lawsuits and Court challenges fail, this will have a grave effect on all institutions.In his Sunday column in Catholic New World, Catholic Cardinal George wrote that only three options will exist for Catholic institutions to avoid shutting down under the Obama administration’s mandate:1) secularize itself, breaking its connection to the church, her moral and social teachings and the oversight of its ministry by the local bishop, 2) to pay exorbitant annual fees to avoid paying for birth control-inclusive insurance policies or 3) to “sell the institution to a non-Catholic group or to a local government.”“The state is making itself into a church,” the Cardinal wrote … (March 6th 2012 Huff Post Chicago, The internet Newspaper: News blogs video Community)The Cardinal added that if the President does not rescind this HHS mandate there will be no Catholic hospitals or services in the next two years!!

Do what is Necessary!

Regardless of what may happen in the legislature and courts, people of conscience should give this thoughtful prayer and become politically ACTIVE! Let your representative know you want him or her to take a stand to protect our liberties. Those who voted for Obama, in particular Catholics, must examine his record, inform their conscience and vote accordingly.

We hope and pray this leads to an anti-Obama vote.Life and Liberty are at stake!Written by Mark Chuff and Mark FrederickPaid for by Mark Chuff , Mark Frederick and friendsTo learn more about this and other related issues, visit us on facebook.www.facebook.com/forlifeandliberty

“I have always believed that birth control and abortion are personal rights to be exercised by the individual.If, in my early days when I organized the Back of the Yards neighborhood in Chicago, which was 95 per cent Roman Catholic, I had tried to communicate this, even through the experience of the residents, whose economic plight was aggravated by large families, that would have been the end of my relationship with the community.That instant I would have been stamped as an enemy of the Churchand all communication would have ceased. Some years later,after establishing solid relationships, I was free to talk about anything, including birth control. I remember discussing it with the then Catholic Chancellor. By then the argument was no longer limited to such questions as, “HOW MUCH LONGER DO YOU THINK THE CATHOLIC CHURCH CAN HANG ON TO THIS ARCHAIC NOTION AND STILL SURVIVE?””

– Page 94 of Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky

According to President Obama’s actions, the Church cannot hold onto its beliefs and survive in the United States he is remaking. The Church must submit to the archaic notions of atheism and totalitarianism held by Saul Alinsky (and his followers) and Barack Obama or it will be made to suffer and face extinction. Though President Obama is unaware that he cannot defeat the Church, he does know he has a fight on his hands because we have said, “We will not comply!”

Giving up chocolate for Lent will not save our Church and will not save our country from the loss of religious freedom that radical secularism demands. Resolving to defend our Church and country from this error are the only hope to restoring our freedom of religion. So, get out of your comfort zone because the alternative to religious freedom is extremely uncomfortable.

The time has passed for insignificant resolutions during the Lenten season. Our Church needs us and our Pope has called us to action:

What do we need to do to defend the Church? We need to work now to remove false community organizations from our parishes. We need to educate many more Catholics aboutcommunity organizations‘manipulation of Catholic social teaching and how it fools Catholics into acting and voting against a Catholic conscience. The manipulation by these community organizations leads to illegal mandates like President Obama’s HHS contraception, sterilization and abortifacient mandate. President Obama is a product of this manipulation of Catholic social teaching through the community organization known as Gamaliel. He worked for Gamaliel in Chicago.